The Conversation
by Arhazivory
Summary: AUfuturistic . In modern day Tokyo, Hinata drinks away her sorrows at a local bar and has an interesting conversation with an enigmatic young man. NaruHina


**Title**: The Conversation

**Summary**[AU-futuristic In modern-day Tokyo, Hinata drinks away her sorrows at a local bar and has an interesting conversation with an enigmatic young man. [Naru-Hina

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any characters from Naruto, but I do own a most interesting t-shirt.

**A/N**: **HAPPY NEW YEAR!** This one-shot story is dedicated to Abdi. I don't normally go for AU, but this plot has been in my head for a while.

**The Conversation**

I hate bars and I hate drinking. I hate the stench of tobacco and liquor as they mingle like two lovers. I loathe the drunken stares of lewd men who look at me like I'm an object to be taken home. I hate this scene and yet here I am sitting on a bar stool that is so ridiculously long that my feet are dangling half a foot above the floor, signalling to the bartender to pass on my first drink. Sure I hate it, but at this point in time I don't give a damn.

"Bartender-san," I called out and naturally there was no response. I cleared my throat and tried to increase my volume, something that has always been hard for me.

"Bartender-san!" I frowned when my soft voice was still not heard. It had been a very difficult day and I was moody, depressed and frustrated. My two and a half inch heels were killing me and I wanted to have a drink and get home to my empty apartment. I lifted the glass container that held the bar nuts and slammed it unto the bar counter. The noise was sharp and immediately the bartender turned her head towards me and levelled me with a deadly glare.

"You break it, you bought it," she stated curtly as she came over.

"You have insurance," I responded, while examining the beautifully decorated counter-tiles. There was no way I could match her stare

"Hmph," she used a rag to clean up the nuts that had spilled from my recent show of force. "What can I get for you?"

I looked up at her and unsurprisingly she blinked in surprise when our eyes met. I inwardly sighed. _Here we go again. _

"Oh I'm sorry ma'am," her voice was soft and her expression sympathetic, "I didn't realize you were…uh…you know…"

"I'm not blind."

"You're not?!" She furrowed her eyebrows and then moved her right hand up and down my face. I stopped the movement with my left hand and she looked at me in surprise.

"No," I sighed and let go of her hand, "I'd like something…I leave it up to you."

I watched her take out a few bottles and pour different liquors into a glass. The mixture appeared blue, and it was complemented by a slice of pineapple. She handed me the glass and I looked at it sceptically.

"Blue Lagoon."

"Huh?" I stared at her stupidly.

"Just drink it," she walked away and left me to my drink.

I took the time to survey the bar. It wasn't anything special. There was a stage-area to my right, so I figured that they probably had karaoke and performances. Aside from the bar area where I directly sat, tables were strategically placed around the room and they were all filled with drinking men and women. I was alone at the counter and that thought made me a little more depressed; it seemed that everywhere I turned I was alone.

"You alright?" I looked up to find the bartender staring at me.

"Not really," I sighed again and took a sip of the Blue Lagoon, "but the drink is good."

"Thanks," she smiled widely and then looked a little uncertain. "Sorry for what I said before."

"It's okay I get it all the time."

"Well," she took out a fan and I wondered why she was hot in the AC, "I've got a guy coming to perform in a minute. So I hope that cheers you up some."

I nodded in response, still wondering why she had the fan out. It was ridiculously huge although beautifully decorated. Her green eyes danced with merriment even as she smirked at my expression. I was about to inquire of her when a sound from the microphone distracted me. I turned in my stool and faced the stage area. The sight was very surprising. A blonde-haired young man stood at the microphone with a blue non-electrical guitar. That was normal enough; it was his clothes that made my eyes widen. He wore a bright yellow jacket that matched his equally bright pants and the suit clashed with his neon-coloured blue dress shoes. His blonde hair was very messy and his blue eyes shone with amusement. I could not deny that he was very handsome, but those clothes were far too outrageous.

"Umm," he looked around, "this is on right?"

After hearing his voice amplified he grinned out at us. "My name is Yellow-Fox and tonight I'll be singing 'Hey there Delilah' by the Plain-White T's."

The group name was unfamiliar but I readied my ears to listen. He started strumming his guitar and singing in English. I had a very good grasp of the language but my mouth still hung in shock. I heard snickering and turned to face the bartender.

"He's…" I could hardly get out the words.

She nodded and snickered again, "I know."

My eyes blinked in amazement as I looked back at Yellow-Fox, "He's horrible!"

At my statement, the bartender almost doubled over with laughter. I ignored her and watched the performance. The only good thing about it was his fluent English. His tone was painstakingly off-key and he sounded like sand-paper was being drawn over wood. I thought my ears would bleed and based on the expression on everyone's faces, they were in danger of a similar fate. After five minutes of pure, unadulterated torture he ended his performance and smiled brightly at the crowd. No one applauded but they all gave a collective sigh of relief.

I was still in shock. Actually, I was so shocked that it did not register that he was making his way towards me, while still wearing a grin. He walked over and stopped right before my stool.

"Hey," he said and I was startled to find him so close. His face was around six inches from mine and I was staring directly into beautiful blue eyes. _Wow_.

He flashed his hand in front of my face, "Are you alright little lady?"

I frowned at him and almost shouted, "I'm not blind!"

He frowned right back and then straightened himself, "But you sure look like it."

My mouth fell open yet again. He scratched the back of his head and grinned again before taking the stool beside mine and motioning to the bartender.

"Oi Temariiii!" His voice was loud enough to make me cringe, but it got the bartender's attention. She strolled over and knocked him in the head with her fan.

"Don't say my name so loudly baka! You wanna attract the perverts?!"

He blushed slightly and rubbed the top of his head where the fan had connected. "I'd like what this little lady is having."

If you're wondering what I was doing at the time, I was still staring at this odd character. Temari (whose name everyone knew now) brought him his drink and he took a long draw before sighing happily and turning to face me. My face turned two shades of red as he looked directly into my eyes. Normally I would start looking elsewhere, but for some reason I could not avert my gaze. Perhaps, it can be blamed on the beautiful blue that I was drawn to; his eyes reminded me of the sky on a cloudless day.

"I've never seen eyes like yours before," he commented after a few moments, "Are you sure you're not blind?"

"That's a dumb question." I responded, finally able to free myself from his gaze, "Are you Japanese?" I asked in return.

"Of course," he laughed a little.

"I've never seen a Japanese person with blue eyes and blond hair."

"And I've never seen a _human being_ with no pupils."

"Touché," I responded, "but mine is a genetic defect, how do you explain yours?"

"Hmm," he looked at his glass for a moment, "You're assuming little lady that one has to be born from certain parents to be Japanese."

"So you're a foreigner."

"Nope," he grinned at me again, "I'm Japanese. End. Of. Story. Little lady."

"I do have a name you know," I said cheekily, and for a moment I wondered why I felt like arguing with him. Normally I'd shy away from arguments, but with this person I felt different.

"I have one too little lady," was his response and he turned forward and continued to drink. My disappointment was keen. I liked looking at him (now that my eyes had grown accustomed to his yellow clothing) and wanted him to look at me too.

"What is your name?" My main reason for asking was to see his eyes again. I blushed slightly when he looked my way with mischief dancing in his eyes.

"Yellow-Fox."

I sighed in exasperation, "No it's not."

"How would you know that little lady?"

"Hmph," I stared at him coolly, "Cause that's not a name."

He chuckled, "There you go with assumptions again. I'll tell you mine, if you tell me yours."

"Okay fine…It's Hinata," he blinked in surprise when I responded so quickly.

"That's a beautiful name," he closed his eyes and smiled, "but it's not as beautiful as mine."

"Which is?"

"Yellow-Fox," he stated simply before turning forward again.

I was filled with righteous indignation, "That's not fair!" I shouted at him.

"Your eyes are beautiful by the way Hinata-chan," he spoke so softly that I may have missed it, but I heard and paused in shock at his statement.

He was still looking at the bottles lined up in front of him and so he missed the blush that surrounded my entire face and neck. Growing up I was told that my eyes were creepy, weird, demonic, evil and alien, but no one had ever called them beautiful. I fought to blink back tears.

"Thank you," I responded softly. For a while we just sat sipping our drinks and listening to some cheesy pop music that Temari had put on.

"Why are you sad Hinata-chan?" I looked up to find him staring at me again.

"Why do you…" I started to question, but figured, to hell with it, and responded. "It's been a long day."

"I see," he smiled sadly at me, "I know about long days."

"You do?" I was surprised because I had already built up an image of him being the happy-go-lucky type.

"Uh-huh," he sipped the last of his drink and then gave me his full attention, "It helps to talk about them."

"I don't normally talk to strangers about my long days Yellow-Fox."

"Isn't it better to talk to strangers," he looked at me pointedly, "you won't see them again and the likelihood of them telling someone else is low."

"That's true," I admitted although the thought of not seeing him again was making me feel a little strange. I sighed and finished up my liquor, before fully turning to face him. My eyes did not meet his though, because I didn't want to show any of the pain I felt.

"I'll understand if you don't want to talk Hinata-chan," he said softly, "but take it from me, it doesn't help to keep all your emotions bottled inside."

"Why not?" I asked bitterly.

"Because they will amass into something evil, and when you lose control, you can hurt all the people you care about." His words seemed dramatic but his eyes showed a hint of pain that made me wonder what it is that he could have gone through.

"When you say it like that, it's hard to disagree."

"Well then Hinata-chan," his smile returned although his expression was still serious, "Let's have a conversation about your long day."

"Okay," I responded, "but can we have it in English, I don't want anyone to over-hear."

"Sure," he said in English, "but persons may still overhear because many consider English to be the lingua franca and take time to study it."

"I don't buy that it is the most powerful language or whatever," I replied proudly, "Japanese is far above it in terms of order and romance."

"I thought French was romantic," he replied with a grin, "I speak that too, and I must admit that it is."

"You speak French as well?" I asked in French and his expression looked pleased. Then he said something I could not understand.

"What was that?" I asked in confusion.

"The tongue of ancient Ireland."

"How did you…?" I stared at him in shock. He seemed like a total goof-off one minute and then in the next minute he seemed intelligent.

"Never mind that Hinata," he had slipped back to English, "go on and tell me your tale." I looked at my hands for a moment and then looked back into his eyes.

"Well I'm a lawyer."

"Are you sure," he asked, "you don't look like one."

I glared at him before continuing, "I am. I work with the Hyuuga law firm."

"That's the Hyuuga family?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes," I replied, "I'm a Hyuuga too. My father is Hyuuga Hiashi – the leading criminal defender in Tokyo."

I looked at him to gauge his expression. His eyes held a hint of surprise, and something else that I couldn't quite describe. Normally persons would either recoil at the fact that my father defended twisted criminals, or butter me up because I obviously had money. Yellow-Fox's expression had me stumped.

"Anyway," I continued, "I never wanted to be a lawyer, but ever since I was born my father has been honing me for courtroom battles. I hate it all. I hate the lies, the deceit and just…all of it."

"But being a lawyer doesn't mean lying does it?" He asked.

"Sure it does, when you defend the worst criminals."

"I see."

"I don't know why father does it, but I hate it," I looked away from his gaze as I felt my shame burn deeply. "He wants me to take over the company when he retires."

"But that's not what you want."

"No," I stated firmly, "My little sister ran away to Germany three years ago so she's out of the question and my cousin Neji can't stand my father."

"Neji?" His face clouded with an expression I couldn't quite describe.

"Yeah," I looked into his eyes again, "Do you know him?"

"No, but I have heard of him."

"I see," I examined my empty glass and continued, "Anyway, Neji used to hate me too but four years ago that all changed."

"What happened?"

"I was still in law school when Neji had his first case ever. It was a petty criminal who was charged for armed robbery. He went to Fukuoka for the case and when he came back three months later, he smiled at me."

"And that was significant?"

"Yes," I smiled at the memory, "Neji had never smiled at me before. I don't know why he hated us; it's something that no one ever discusses with me."

"So did he tell you what happened?" Yellow-Fox inquired.

"Yeah, apparently the prosecutor was this guy named Uzumaki Naruto that cleaned the floor with Neji."

Yellow-Fox chuckled, "And that was a good thing?"

"Apparently, cause that's all he said. He didn't comment on the case or how Uzumaki managed to win. He only said that his life would never be the same and then…" I paused.

"Then what?" He prodded.

"Then he told my father that his fate lies elsewhere, and left the company."

"Hmm."

"My father was pissed, and now all the pressure is on me."

"I see," he cleared his throat and motioned for two more blue lagoons and once they were brought, I continued.

"Anyway, I'm always getting the sucky cases to defend, but last week father gave me a new case."

"A big one I suppose?"

"Uh-huh," I took a long draw from the straw in my glass, "The case of a murderer named Orochimaru."

"Hmm," his expression was thoughtful, "Why doesn't he take the case himself?"

"Cause he's busy with an even bigger one!" I sighed loudly.

"Can you do it?" He asked.

"Do what?"

"Try the case," he stared intently at me, "Can you try the case Hinata?"

"I don't know."

"When is the first court date?"

"Tomorrow."

He looked at my drink and smiled, "I see."

"I can't do it Yellow-Fox!" I suddenly shouted, "I met with the bastard and he frightened me. How can I defend that man? Why did father put me in this position?"

The tears that I had been forcing to stay in all day suddenly came pouring out and I turned my head so he wouldn't see them. I felt a warm hand on my cheek as Yellow-Fox turned my face towards his. His gaze was intent and for a moment I was lost again in his eyes.

"Can you try the case Hinata?" He asked again.

"Of course not." I responded breathlessly, still aware of his fingers on my chin.

"Then why are you doing it?" his head tilted to the side when he asked the question.

"Because," I lowered my gaze as more tears poured out, "Because I just can't say no."

"To who?"

"To my father."

"Why not?" I looked at him again and noted his sympathy.

"I don't know Yellow-Fox," I said softly, and he released his hold on my chin. I suddenly felt alone again.

"But you're going to go tomorrow aren't you?" He asked pointedly.

"Yes."

"So you will do your best then Hinata," he smiled suddenly and I blinked in surprise.

"Do my best to defend a murderer?"

"Of course," he swirled his drink before taking a sip, "Otherwise you will not only shame your father but yourself as well. You did not have the courage to run away. You did not have the courage to quit. You did not have the courage to say no. So you have to face the consequences of your lack of courage."

I felt the bile rise in my throat and my eyes stung once more. His tone was not accusing but everything he said was true. At that moment I felt sick to my stomach of my own self.

"Hinata-chan," his gaze was stern, "you're a beautiful young lady and a smart one. Otherwise you would not have graduated from law school. But you can't let your father walk all over you. It's too late now to go back into the past but for now you can move forward. You can take this law firm and do something good with it. _You_ can change its image."

"How?" I looked at him helplessly, "How can I do that?"

"Start by doing your best tomorrow."

"I don't understand Yellow-Fox."

"You say you don't want to be a lawyer. Is that true? Or is it that you don't want to be a lawyer under your father's rule?"

"Ummm…"

"Because it's two different things. I can see you being a true defender of justice like your cousin."

"You know what Neji does?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah," he waved dismissively, "he defends persons wronged by the government. _You_ can use your skills for something that will profit society. But you can't do that if everyone thinks you're an idiot."

I winced at his words. "Oh."

"Cause you're not an idiot." He smirked at me. "However, if you walk into that courtroom tomorrow lacking confidence and skills, you can consider your career over."

"But won't people question my morals?"

"Sure they will," he stated simply, "but by next week they're questioning the morals of someone else. _No one_ will forget your skill." He paused and regarded me coolly, then he reached over and took my glass away.

"Now," he looked directly into my eyes again, "can you do it?"

"I…"

"Don't think about the courage you don't have now, think about your skill. Do you have the skills?"

I inhaled deeply and thought of my awards and my honours degree, "Yes."

"Do you have the skills?!"

"Yes!"

"Then can you walk into that courtroom tomorrow and use all your resources," he paused and pointed at my heart and my head, "all the resources you have in your heart and in your head?"

"Yes," I was surprised at the fact that I actually believed it. He smiled at me and I felt the warmth creeping through my body.

"Good."

"Um Yellow-Fox?"

"Yes."

"There's another problem," I nervously rubbed my two index fingers together, "The prosecutor has recently moved to Tokyo and Neji says there's no way I can beat him."

"Oh?" his expression became un-readable again, "Who is he?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," I reached for my glass and took another draw, "When I phoned Neji with the news he did the oddest thing."

"What?"

"He laughed and told me that 'it is fate'."

"How dramatic of him," Yellow-Fox said with a smirk.

"I thought so too," I stared at Yellow-Fox, "but I will do my best, regardless of what happens."

"And if Uzumaki wins you'll be happy."

"Of course," I lowered my voice to a whisper, "but no one but you and I have to know that."

He laughed and put both hands behind his head, "I won't tell a soul."

I looked at my watch and saw that it was 9:30PM. I could hardly believe we had been talking for so long, but I did not regret it. I felt good and tomorrow at 2:30 when my case starts, I would be ready. I got up and laid some yen on the counter.

"You leaving now Beautiful?" Yellow-Fox asked and I turned many degrees redder. Noting my expression, he only grinned again and rose to leave.

"I'll walk you to your car," He took my elbow and started escorting me, "Later Temari!!!!" We both ducked as a fan sailed from nowhere.

We walked in silence and I was glad for it, because his hand was still lightly grasping my elbow and I was blushing furiously. Trying to talk would have only lead to stuttering. We needed no light because his yellow outfit lit the way. I took the time to wonder about this stranger who had gotten me to reveal so much of myself, while he remained a mystery.

"This is me," I said softly when we reached my car.

"It's a nice car," he said appreciatively while looking over my jaguar.

"Thanks," I smiled at him and disabled the alarm.

He opened the door and helped me inside before closing it again. His head rested on the window and he smiled at me.

"It was nice talking to you Hinata-chan," he said and his hand moved inside the window. I reached up and shook it, wondering to myself if I would ever see him again.

"Good-bye Yellow-Fox," I said softly and somewhat sadly.

"Not good-bye yet Hinata-chan," he responded, "That's too final. Let's say 'later'."

"But I won't see you later Yellow-Fox." He chuckled and took a business card out of his pocket.

"Don't look at it yet Hinata-chan," his face was mischievous, "Later."

I watched him walk back to the bar and sighed softly to myself. Then I turned the key and pulled away from the curb. The business card was still in hand and I didn't look at it until I was in my apartment. I turned it over and gasped in shock before dropping my handbag on the floor and rushing to my laptop. Still shaking in shock I went to 'Google images' and shakingly typed in 'Uzumaki Naruto'. Multiple grinning faces popped up at me and I could only blink at the screen and then blink at the business card in my hand. The title on the card read:

_Uzumaki Naruto aka Yellow-Fox_

_Lawyer (bo-ring but fun)/Singer_

"That big jerk!" I shouted before crumpling the card in my hand, "I'll kill him tomorrow!"

**THE END**

Hehe…that was fun to write. Please let me know your thoughts, click on the review button okay.

I won't say goodbye….but 'later' (right Abdi?).


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